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CITIZENS SPEAK UP: City delays IURC pullout

COLUMBIA CITY — After receiving input from citizens, the Columbia City Common Council agreed to delay the passage of a pair of ordinances that would withdraw the electric and water utilities from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) Tuesday.The council’s decision was unanimous to push back the final reading to April 23. “The purpose of the delay is to gather any additional information from people,” said Councilwoman Nicole Penrod.A public hearing was held at the meeting, giving citizens a chance to let the council know what they thought of the withdrawal. The consensus among those present was the city needs to explain its exact problem so everyone knows precisely what will happen.“The more communication, the better,” said Rich Ritterman, a Warsaw resident who owns property in Columbia City.Others agreed with the city’s decision but desired more public dialogue.“I’ve got no problem with the city saving money,” said Dick Goodwin. “It hasn’t been made crystal-clear why this is being done.”Goodwin said some citizens are concerned withdrawling from the IURC takes away oversight for utility rate increases.To read the rest of this story, see the April 10 issue of The Post and Mail. Don't have a subscription? Call (260) 244-5153 or subscribe to our e-edition. For breaking news, sports updates and additional coverage, bookmark the homepage and find us on facebook and twitter.